A Setback Is Just a Setup For a Comeback

Let Your Setback Precede Your Comeback

Business Building Action From Terry Brock - for DSound and Steemit

“A setback is just a setup for a comeback.” Willie Jolley, Professional Speaker, Author and Professional Singer

Tough times are great!

Yes, you read that right. Tough times make us all better people. When you have to go through tough times ---- tougher than anything you’ve experienced before --- you gain skills that you never would have acquired when everything is going just fine and smooth.

Many businesses today are going through tough times. Others are now beginning to see the light and come out of the dire doldrums to see new opportunities in a new world that has emerged even in the last year.

Just the other day I was talking with a very good friend who called and told me he had been laid off from his job about 3 weeks ago. He said he was going into “liquidation mode” by trying to sell anything he had of value. His plans included selling everything he could on eBay, Craigslist or anywhere else that he could get cash to pay for groceries (literally). I hurt deeply knowing what he was going through and the anguish it meant. Also, the fact that he waited three weeks to tell me he was laid off said volumes about his feelings. But selling can only go so far. Eventually my friend will have to generate new income from new sources.

Coming back is all about being resourceful. Human beings throughout history have achieved their greatest success just when it appeared the darkest. I’m reminded of the story of the late, great Mary Kay Ash. She suffered through a bad marriage and when she left worked at raising three kids alone. When she was passed over for promotion --- in favor of a man whom she had trained --- she decided to forge out on her own. She built a company that not only made her a millionaire but many others as well.

Oprah Winfrey’s story of dogged determination to overcome obstacles is well-known. She is a shining example to all about how persistence and offering the public something it wants can yield solid business benefits --- and help others profoundly as well. Success and determination don’t care about gender, skin color, or other factors. What matters is the degree to which you are willing to work hard, get up when knocked down and be creative in developing new ways to meet new circumstances.

My friend Willie Jolley is a Washington, D.C. – based professional speaker, professional singer and author (try that combination on for size!). I love his quote at the top of this article. When you get that setback (and we all do) it is how you handle it. Look at it as a way to prepare you with knowledge and the emotional stamina to turn things around for the future. The cynics will say it doesn’t work.

They are right.

They are right--- but only to an extent. If they say they can’t and say it won’t work, they are right --- for them. However, for those who marshal a “never-say-die” attitude and are willing to learn from setbacks, adapt to new circumstances, acquire the skills necessary to get ahead and be willing to pay the price --- well, history is replete with examples of success.

This is not Pollyanna talk. This is hard science and what really works in the real world. Here are some steps that can help when you have that setback:

Pause And Examine The Situation. Realize you can’t just brush off the hurt. Deal with it --- but don’t stay with it. Find out what went wrong, what you could have done and what was completely out of your control. Know the facts before you begin anew.

Acquire New Skills. In a world that is changing rapidly, continued knowledge infusion is essential. Learn new market-valuable (key term!) skills. Find those things that people want and for which they are ready, willing and able to pay. Go to the library and read. Listen to MP3 skill-building ideas on iTunes. Watch instructional videos on video.google.com, YouTube.com and other sites. Note that all the above suggestions don’t require money but they do require your commitment to study and learn.

Sell. Successful people in any field have learned how to sell their ideas. Learn how to do that. Do it in a persuasive, helpful, not pushy way. “Pushy” doesn’t work with most intelligent people today. Genuinely help others and sell without regard to the inevitable rejection you’ll get occasionally.

As you see every setback as a setup for a comeback, you will acquire the mindset that is imperative to get ahead. Never stop learning market-valuable skills. Never stop selling to help others.

These principles can help you personally and in your business when you have a setback. Model the successful people who have done it before and you improve your chances for success.

Terry L. Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE
Member, Professional Speaker Hall of Fame
Certified Speaking Professional
2018 Recipient of the National Speakers Association's Highest Award, The Cavett

Master of Ceremonies
Professional Video Coach

Syndicated Columnist with Business Journals (43 papers across USA, 11 million monthly page views)
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Former Editor-in-Chief for AT&T's Networking Exchange Blog
Former Chief Enterprise Blogger for Skype

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